1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process kit removably mountable with respect to an apparatus body and a mechanism for coupling the process kit and the apparatus body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, in a copying apparatus using the electrophotographic method, when it is used for a long time, there occurs the necessity of replacement of the photosensitive member, supply or replacement of the developer, cleaning of the charging wire or other adjustment or replacement, and such maintenance works are carried out by professional servicemen. However, in order to make the copying apparatus operate always in good conditions, there has been proposed a technique of carrying out such maintenance works without resorting to the professional servicemen. As an example of such technique, there is a method whereby a combination of various constituent members such as a charger, a developing device, a photosensitive member, etc. contained in the apparatus is simply replaced with a new one. If a construction which enables such replacement of a process kit is adopted, it will become possible to use the same apparatus body multifunctionally by preparing a plurality of kits in accordance with the usages and inserting a kit matching a desired usage into the apparatus body.
The maintenance and usages are widened by the user who has a copying apparatus so handling the kit, while there may arise a problem in the handling of the kit. The problem is that the kit must always be inserted into a proper position relative to the apparatus body. Particularly, in an apparatus wherein an optical system is disposed on the body side, the distance or the like between the optical system and the photosensitive member is affected by the state of the inserted process kit in the apparatus body.